The darkness engulfed my vision. My feet scuffed the ground as I walked along the dark sewer. The only beam of light was coming from the torch that Cara held. She and Greef Karga walked ahead of me as I slowly dragged my feet along the ground.
The events that had just happened seemed to be replaying in the back of my mind as tears continued to fall down my cheeks. Every now and then I would quietly sniffle and wipe my tears away, but more would quickly fall in place.
My chest felt heavy and my heart felt like it was shattering over and over again. Everytime I remembered that he wasn't there with me I wanted to collapse onto the ground. I haven't felt grief like this since the day I lost my parents. And it was unfortunate that I had only realised how much I cared about Mando when he was gone.
The child cooed sadly from up ahead as I sniffed for the hundredth time. I raised my left hand and realised that I was still tightly clutching the necklace that he had given to me, which only made me feel worse.
I lifted up the necklace and gently placed it around my neck, I clasped it at the back and allowed the pendant to hit against my chest. Once the metal landed on my skin, I let out another sob that I couldn't hold in. I clutched onto the metal tightly as Grief consumed me.
An explosion suddenly went off in the distance. I tensed up and turned my head to look behind me, I stared down the dark sewer in worry.
But then, something else caught my attention, the sound of heavy footsteps making their way towards us.
I felt on edge as a flashlight illuminated the dark wall ahead of me and two figures made their way around the corner. IG-11 and...Mando. I could barely see through my tears, but there was no mistaking him.
I let out a shaky breath of relief, my eyes widened and I felt my shoulders relax. He was being supported by IG-11 as he stumbled through the dark towards them.
I could hear Cara and Greef Karga begin to walk towards them from behind me. But I felt frozen to the spot as I stared at his familiar form. A mixture of contradictory emotions rushing through me.
I quickly shook myself out of it and rushed towards him. I stopped directly in front of him as Cara handed the baby to IG-11. I could tell that he was weak still as he swayed lightly.
I let out a small sob as I stepped forwards and gently wrapped my arms around his waist. I buried my head into his shoulder in the gap between his armor. I tried not to hurt him and kept my grasp on him loose.
Mando gently wrapped his arms around my shoulders, his grip was weak but I could feel him trying to hold me tighter. I breathed out shakily before I slowly released him and looked into his dark visor with my bloodshot eyes.
"Don't you ever do that again." I said half in relief, half in frustration. My voice was hoarse and shaky.
"I'll try." He said quietly.
Cara then moved to stand at Mando's right side and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Okay, I've got you." She muttered as Mando put all his weight onto her.
I slotted into Mando's left side and placed his arm around my shoulder, helping Cara to aid him. I wrapped my arm around his waist to help him keep his balance. It was also an excuse to stay close to him, but I wouldn't let anyone know that.
The group then began to walk down the dark tunnel again. My heart felt lighter than it had before as I kept a tight grip on Mando. Though I felt unbelievably grateful to have him by my side again, I couldn't help but feel the aftermath of the pain I had endured. The heavy grief still sat in my heart even though I had him by my side again.
Mando limped by my side as we turned a corner and entered a section of the tunnel that was better lit than the first. Greef Karga stepped ahead of them and looked left and right.
"Do you know which way to go?" Greef Karga asked Mando.
"No. I don't know these tunnels. I've only entered from the bazaar." Mando replied. The group made the decision to turn right and continue down the tunnels, I hope we wouldn't get lost.
"Well, if we get the smell of sulfur and we follow it, it'll lead us to the plains where the river flows" Greef Karga said
"And the Imps will catch us before we make it to the ship. We need the Mandalorians to escort us to safety." Mando replied. His voice was gruff and weak. It hitched every time he felt a pang of pain.
The group then took another right down another tunnel. "Ugh, this place is a maze." Cara complained.
"Stop." Mando suddenly Said. I came to a stop and my heart rate shot up again, I couldn't help but worry as the worst case scenarios ran through my head.
"I can stand." He said as he took his arm off of Cara and I. I felt relief again and my heart rate began to steady. He was okay.
"The bacta infusion is working." IG-11 said
"I'll try to find tracks." Mando said. He scanned the ground for a moment before he stopped and pointed his finger to the left.
"We're close." He took charge and began to walk forwards. I walked closely behind him as he charged ahead. I didn't want to be too far away from him right now.
"Turn here." He Said, leading them to a tunnel on the left.
The group then found themselves in what looked like a more populated area of the tunnels, the ground was littered with crates on either side of a long walkway. I recognised the area as the place where the Mandalorians had hidden themselves.
Mando's headlight lit up the ground in front of them, and I felt my heart drop when the light illuminated a large pile of familiar looking armor. A massive pile of mandalorian armor rested in front of them. What had happened here?
Mando clicked his torch off and I could feel the tension radiating off of him. He took slow steps towards the pile of armor on the floor. Once he was near to it, he slowly dropped to his knees and lowered his head in sadness. I felt my heart clench in pain for him, this was his family, his home. And it had been taken from him again.
Mando reached down and picked up a discarded helmet. I slowly walked forward and stood behind him, I gently placed my hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him as he sat in silence.
"We should go." Cara said as she lent over to speak to Mando.
"You go. Take the ship. I can't leave it this way." Mando told her.
I shook my head firmly and tightened my grip on his shoulder. "Absolutely not. Not again. I'm not leaving you down here by yourself. I'll stay with you and help."
"It's not safe, you have to take the kid and..." Mando began to say, but I quickly cut him off.
"Stop being so determined to save me and let me help you." I stated firmly. I would not risk leaving his side again.
Mando sighed in defeat before he turned to Greef Karga. "Did you know about this? Is this the work of your bounty hunters?"
"No." Greef Karga replied. "When you left the system and took the prize, the fighting ended and the hunters just melted away. You know how it is. They're mercenaries. They're not zealots."
Mando placed the helmet back down on the ground and stood up. He spun around and faced Greef Karga. "Did you do this? Did you?" He charged at Greef Karga and pointed his finger at his chest.
"No!" Greef Karga argued
"It was not his fault." A familiar woman's voice spoke up out of the darkness.
"We revealed ourselves. We knew what could happen if we left the covert. The imperials arrived shortly thereafter. This is what resulted." The armorer said as she picked up a piece of armor from the pile.
"Did any survive?" Mando asked
"I hope so. Some may have escaped off-world." The armorer said
"Come with us." Mando asked her
"No. I will not abandon this place until I have salvaged what remains." The armorer replied. She was placing pieces of armor into a large metal cart. She then began to push the cart down another tunnel.
Mando began to follow her and I stayed close to him. I could hear the footsteps of the others as they chose to do the same and follow Mando.
We walked down a tunnel and came to a familiar looking room. The mandalorian armory, I had been in this room many times before. The large forge still sat in the Center of the room with blue flames burning around the rim.
I watched the armorer as she placed a chest piece into the flames. The blue beskar metal slowly melted down.
"Show me the one whose safety deemed such destruction." The armorer asked
Mando pointed towards the bag that IG-11 held that contained the child. "This is the one."
"This is the one that you hunted, then saved?" She asked him
"Yes. The one that saved me as well." Mando replied
"From the mudhorn?" The armorer asked
"Yes." Mando replied
"It looks helpless." The armorer mused
"He's not." I spoke up, causing the armorer to glance over at me. I saw her helmet tilt down slightly as she looked at me and I could tell that the woman was looking at the pendant that hung around my neck. I instinctively raised my hand and clasped the pendant. Feeling strangely possessive of the item.
Mando nodded. "It's injured, but it's not helpless. Its species can move objects with its mind." He brought the armorer's attention away from me. But I could sense his hesitation when bringing up the child's gifts.
"I know of such things." The armorer said as she turned back to the forge. "The songs of eons past tell of battles between Mandalore the great, and an order of sorcerers called Jedi that fought with such powers."
My mind felt like it went into overdrive again when I heard that word for the second time today. Jedi.
Images of red and blue light clashing together flooded my mind. My mothers panicked eyes. The masked face of the inquisitor. "You Jedi are all the same. When someone is in trouble you have to help them. You just can't help yourself.". Jedi.
"Is it an enemy?" Mando asked in concern. I breathed out shakely as my mind ran over what the armorer said. Enemy sorcerers. What had my parents been a part of?
"No. It's kind were enemies, but this individual was not." The armorer said
"What is it?" Mando asked her
"It is a foundling. By creed, it is in your care." The armorer said as she opened up a cupboard.
"You wish me to train this thing?" Mando asked in confusion
"It is too weak. It would die. You have no choice. You must reunite it with its own kind." The armorer spoke
Mando turned his head and looked at me for a moment before he turned back to the armorer. "Where?"
"This, you must determine." The armorer replied
"You expect me to search the galaxy for the home of this creature and deliver it to a race of enemy sorcerers?" Mando asked her incredulously.
"This is the way." The armorer replied. She stared at Mando for a moment before she spun around and hit her hammer down onto the metal that she had been working with.
"Hey." Cara began to walk towards her. "These tunnels will be lousy with Imps in a matter of minutes. We should at least discuss an escape plan."
"If you follow the descending tunnel, it will lead you to the underground river. It flows downstream toward the lava flats." The armorer instructed
"I think we should go." Greef Karga said
"I'm staying. I need to help her and I need to heal." Mando said
"You must go." The armorer said before I could interject again. "A foundling is in your care. By creed, until it is of age or reunited with its own kind, you are as its father."
I smiled lightly at the comment the armorer made. I looked over at Mando who was staring intently at the child.
"This is the way." The armorer stated again.
"You have earned your signet." The armorer said as she walked across the room with the armor she had been working on. She stood at Mando's right side and began to wield the piece of Beskar to his armor.
Once she had finished placing the armor on his shoulder, she glanced up at him. "You are a clan of three." She turned her helmet and looked over at me, I was still wearing the necklace. That must have been the reason, maybe it meant more than what I realised. I glanced over at Mando as he continued to stare at the armorer.
"Thank you." Mando Said to the armorer after a moment. "I will wear this with honor."
Suddenly, the calm silence of the armory was cut short when several explosions could be heard in the distance. I tensed up again and reached for my blaster.
"We should go." Greef Karga stated
"IG, please guard the outer hallway. A scouting party draws near." The armorer asked the droid.
IG turned to Cara and handed her the bag that held the child. "Hand on. I don't do the baby thing." Cara complained.
IG didn't listen to her as he turned around and began to March towards the hallway that the armorer had instructed him to guard.
"I have one more gift for your journey. Have you trained in the Rising Phoenix?" The armorer asked him
"When I was a boy. Yes." Mando responded
"Then this will make you complete." The armorer said as she turned to Mando with a beskar jet pack. I raised my eyebrows at the object in appreciation.
"Thank you." Mando said
"When you have healed, you will begin your drills. Until you know it, it will not listen to your commands." The armorer said
"I understand." Mando replied
Blaster fire suddenly interrupted their conversation. I quickly looked in the direction it was coming from and pulled my blaster out of my holster.
The blaster fire stopped after a moment and I held my breath as footsteps began to approach the room they were in. I was going to aim my blaster at the door, but I didn't sense any danger anymore. So I waited with my hand clutching my blaster by my side.
IG then walked around the corner and looked at them. "You are protected."
I smiled lightly and sighed in relief as I placed my blaster back in my holster again.
"More will come. You must go." The armorer said to Mando
"Come with us." Mando asked her again
"My place is here. Restock your munitions." She ordered Mando. He turned and walked towards a box across the room.
"IG, carry this for Din Djarin until he is well enough to wear it." The armorer asked the droid. My heart jumped at the sound of his name again. It would take me a while to get used to that.
"Now, go. Down to the river and across the plains." Their three companions walked out of the armorer's room and began to make their way down the hallway.
I hung back for a moment as Mando stood in front of the armorer again.
"Be safe on your journey." She said to him
"Thank you." Mando Said
Before they left, the armorer turned her head and looked at me. She nodded to me and I returned the gesture. I could feel the unspoken meaning behind the mandalorians gesture. A feeling of respect passed between the two women.
Mando walked forward and placed his hand on my shoulder, giving me a light squeeze, before he let go and began to walk after the others. I kept close to him as we walked out of the armorer and down the hallway with the rest of their group. We still had some distance to go before we were safe. More fighting was to come. I could sense it.